This past week I had the pleasure of hosting a young man, Michiel Van Duurling, from the Netherlands and invited him to drive with me from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg. Along the route I could inform him of some unique challenges in South Africa. Much of our conversation was pertaining to the threats on our roads, the low numbers of cyclists on our roads and the reasons for this.
Near Johannesburg I had to explain the road signs alerting road users to hazardous objects on the roads! During this past weekend these messages were further highlighted by a warning from crash reconstructionist Stan Bezuidenhout to truck drivers of this threat. I would like to quote:
“Trucking Alert (and all motorists): This morning at approx 04:30 on N12 near Etwatwa, driver of a loaded fruit truck is reported to have swerved to avoid boulders/ rocks placed on the freeway. He crashed into the centre median, destroying the guard rails and “clearvu” anti-pedestrian fence proceeding across the freeway. The crash also destroyed the trailer and load was scattered.
This is not the first incident on objects being put on the road or thrown from overhead bridges. Earlier this year a cattle truck overturned after bricks were thrown from the overbridge on N1 near grasmere. Last week a mother and child were seriously injured on the N12 near the Glen (comaro offramp) after a brick was thrown at the vehicle. News reports indicate the child is in a coma….
A special warning to all drivers to slow down and be observant on freeways especially in the dark…..pics of this mornings aftermath uploading.”
Also view:
Crime as a Threat to Road Safety
Truck Hijackings, Crime and Road Safety
Truck drivers warned of obstructions placed on roads with criminal intent!
